City of Ruin by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Guest Author - Laura Lehman

Boss loves to dive old space ship wrecks and is particularly fascinated by ancient Dignity Ships and their dangerous Stealth Tech. Now, years after her first discoveries in Diving into the Wreck, Boss has pulled together a group of historians, archaeologists, and divers to hunt down Dignity Vessels and Stealth Tech becoming more of a manager than a diver.

When she hears reports of mysterious deaths on the planet in the Enterran Empire she can't resist investigating, despite the fact that most of her group are considered fugitives. They travel to the city of Vaycehn to investigate their ancient ruins on a hunch that they hold Stealth Tech. Beneath the mountainous city is a series of caves where fourteen archaeologists have died. Add to that the "death holes" that randomly appear to swallow sections of the city and Boss is certain they would find Stealth Tech. As Boss and her divers uncover the Stealth Tech hidden within the mountains of Vaycehn, she also finds something much more momentous that will change everything.

I loved revisiting Boss' world. City of Ruins recaptures what made Diving into the Wreck such an enjoyable book despite its slow start. The sense of adventure is still strong as the divers venture into the cave beyond where their guides will go and try to piece together what they find. Like Diving into the Wreck, much of City of Ruins is narrated by Boss, in her clipped voice, not giving much depth to any character beyond what they do for the dive. Other sections are narrated by a new character, Coop. I found his voice to be much more personal and through his eyes, learned more about the characters in the Diving Universe.

My RecommendationsCity of Ruins by Kristine Kathryn Rusch is a strong sequel to Diving into the Wreck. Full of adventure, the Diving Universe is shaping up to be a fun place to visit. I recommend both book to both casual and experienced science fiction readers and look forward to the next title in the series.